Snapping and Shapeshifters
by Oceanbreeze7
Summary: Challenge fic: "What the hell?" "Shoot it!" "That's me! Hit that one!" "Have I ever said I hate Shapeshifters? No? Well I do." Tony snaps after a Shapeshifter shifts into a certain father...and hormones have a small thing to do with it.


**_This was a challenge requested by one of my readers, that Tony snaps after a fight._**

**_I found this one strangely fun to write- especially the ending._**

**_Send me a challenge and i shall try my best to fufill it for you. (Oneshots only please)_**

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"What the hell?"

"Shoot it!"

"That's me! Hit that one!"

The Avengers were used to battling, very used to it actually. However, every once and a while a…problem, came up.

"Clint! Stop almost hitting me!"

Clint looked around desperately, trying to spot their foe while Tony just hovered in the air, not sure what to do. Steve had his shield and was glancing everywhere while Natasha apparently was fighting another Natasha. Bruce stood back, blinking and watching the sight with confusion.

_"Have I ever said I hate Shapeshifters? No? Well I do."_

Clint sighed and rolled his eyes, sharing a sympathetic look towards Tony, who watched.

"I don't know which one to hit." Clint uselessly stated and Tony nodded, rising before lowering his repusors.

_"I know. I hit Natashalie, then I'm dead. I hit the right one, then I just took her fight…"_

"Tell me about it." Clint groaned, and stored his bow, jumping down the small ledge where he was positioned to join the fight; hopefully the shifter wasn't as good of a fighter as the two.

Thor was standing on a rooftop, blinking wildly as he tried to recognize a different tactic of the Shapeshifter- not nearly as confused as the others with the whole fiasco.

"…Tony! We can use some help!" Steve shouted upwards, glaring and having a split lip from where he was punched by his ganger.

_"Okay Cap. Not my fault if I hit you."_ Tony warned, shooting down with Thor following behind, Bruce watching from the side of the road.

The copy Clint looked around, the others finally recognizing the fake one from the real one (The Copy Cat didn't have that little irritated twitch Clint did) and was now eying them, looking from one to another.

"Submit and you will be taken to SHIELD custody." Natasha blandly stated, and the copy swallowed, looking around before her eyes narrowed and she glanced at Natasha, staring at her hard.

Tony noticed the copy's eyes dilate before widening, as if someone had shown a flashlight in her eyes.

_"Hey! He's going to do some-"Tony_ warned before the copy shifted, changing forms.

Now a different man stood there, old with and slightly balding as he scowled, glaring at Natasha who recoiled as if struck, stumbling backwards.

"Natasha? Natasha! Guys- it changed again to someone I don't know." Clint shouted into his communicator, fending off a swipe from the older man.

"Who is that?" Steve asked following Clint in a chase as the man dashed into a nearby building, causing the rest to follow.

_"The guy got a scan on Mrs. Scary over here. His eyes dilated. Thor- are Shapeshifters Telepathic?"_

_"It is possible, Man of Iron. Telepathic Shapeshifters are not rare on Asgard."_

"Great, just peachy." Clint scowled, spinning and turning as he stood back to back t Steve as they glanced all over.

_"Hey, I'm back….The Shapeshifter looks into you, changes into someone you can't fight." _Natasha responded over the feed, voice slightly shaky, and nobody wanted to press who that man was.

Steve turned, branching off from Clint a little ways, holding his shield up as he waited from a supposed attack from the Shapeshifter.

A little bit of light reflected off of his shield, glaring into the dark corner in where he faintly saw the older outline of a man shrink and the new form start running, Steve in hot pursuit.

"I've got him on the run." Steve growled into his communicator, throwing his shield in which the person yelped, letting out a girlish squeak before tripping and falling, Steve winding back a punch, ready to knock out their opponent, before pausing.

Peggy stared at him, panting from her recent run and hair slightly wild as she watched his wavering fist with narrowed eyes, lips pursed and ready for scolding.

"Steve- _what _are you doing?" She demanded, British accent thick as she glared, and Steve swallowed, something ripping in his chest.

He never saw the punch coming.

_"It shifted again, now it's a girl and Steve's down."_ Tony heard with a slight curse, flying through the building with night vision, chasing after Clint who had already raced ahead.

_"I- I- shit! How the hell does this thing know who he can't fight?"_

"It's Telepathic Clint- fight whoever you're looking at, it's not real."

Tony growled, shooting around the corner to watch Clint fending off blows from maybe a twelve year old kid with slightly reddish hair, bright blue eyes and obviously tearing Clint.

"Move." Tony demanded, Clint dropping while he nailed the kid with a repulse, the boy letting out a sharp yelp as he collided hard into the wall, bouncing back and glaring, baring his teeth.

"I-" Clint started, torn and not able to notch a well placed arrow before the kid almost ran, staring at Tony hard, trying to get though his visor probably.

"Clint! It's not him." Natasha shouted, grabbing the kid and jumping him, flipping him onto his back and pinning the kid to the ground.

"Friends! You have captured the Shapeshifter!" Thor boomed, appearing around the corner while the boy's head snapped up, eyes focusing on Thor.

"Oh you have _got_ to be kidding me." Tony groaned as the boy exploded upward into something _huge_ and bright blue.

"Shit- what is _that?"_ Clint shouted, scrambling back as the large monster growled, bright red eyes focused on Thor.

Thor growled, swinging his hammer and lunging at the monster, smashing into it as it fell back, ice forming on everything it touched, the monster spun, slashing something that looked suspiciously like an ice club at Thor who laughed as he was hit, sending Mjolnir in response at the thing, hitting it to the ground where it shifted.

"Loki?" Natasha stated in surprise, Thor hesitating to throw his hammer again while Clint took a slightly savage gleeful face.

_Wham!_

The Loki imposter flew, grunting as it hit another steel bar, a red mark growing on his face where the punch hit him.

"New rule! Stay with a buddy!" Steve shouted, appearing around the corner with Bruce following closely.

"Yeah- No." Tony snorted, shooting himself after the running God of Mischief.

The others were too far behind when Tony grabbed said God and slammed into his tower, letting the wall crumple as the two fell head over heels into a lab, plaster dust painting Tony's red a light pink.

He was briefly able to recognize it as Bruce's lab before he had to dodge the punch sent his way from a copy of Thor.

"Whoa!" Tony groaned, stumbling backwards as the copy send a punch onto a table, breaking it into slivers as some chemical combined on the ground, thick smoke wafting into the air.

Tony, occupied with not stepping in the bubbling liquid stumbled when the copy landed a massive punch to his visor, screen flashing red as he was blind, forcing to open his mask.

"Damn!" He cursed, ducking under another punch sent that way by the copy, before throwing his arm up for a blast.

Pepper gave a small scream, holding her arms up in a defensive position as she tried to slow her heart rate.

"Tony Stark! Put that down right now!" She screamed in alarm, and Tony recoiled, mentally hitting himself when the Pepper copy slammed her fist into his face, knocking him back into a glass case which splintered.

Tony groaned, head going slightly fuzzed and a funny choking feeling in his throat as he rose again, the copy Pepper now a different form, one Tony recognized with a growing hatred.

"Hey dad." Tony stated with a hateful smirk, rising to his feet and curling his hands into fists.

The copy Howard snorted and crossed his arms with a scowl.

"What do you want? I'm busy?"

_'Aren't you always?"_ A part of Tony's mind mentioned, and Tony wanted to hit that part with a snow shovel.

"Yeah I figured. I'll give you to the count of three before I blast your body so hard that you won't be able _not_ to look like jello." Tony stated, throwing in a carefree attitude just for kicks, mood plummeting slightly when he noticed a scowl on his father's face- on he _knew so so well…_

"Anthony Edward Stark. Did you just _threaten me?_"

Oh- he knew that voice alright.

"A mindless empty threat? Of course it's mindless- you're an idiot. An insult to have the Stark name. My greatest creation? You shouldn't have been born! I should've disowned you long before." He growled, and Tony tried his best to keep the sudden unexpected onslaught of emotions at bay.

What was _wrong_ with him?

"You didn't say that in the _vid-eo."_ Tony responded in a flippant sing-song manner, and Howard snorted spitting towards Tony before responding.

"'_My greatest creation'_ you? Please. I should have had Captain America for a son instead of _you._"

They stared.

Tony said nothing in the dead silence that was heard, face completely emotionless while he felt cracks appearing in the carefully placed façade in his mask, he didn't even blink as the others smashed through the hole they arrived in, Natasha taking one look at Howard before darting over to Tony, firing off questions that Tony wasn't able to hear.

He noticed Steve's surprised face as Thor fought with Howard, it shifting it's form to Loki (Whom Thor fought with often so no problem with punching) while the others dealt with it.

Tony wasn't sure how, but suddenly…he was on a couch.

He was in his living room, barely seeing it and hearing nothing because he only could hear Howard screaming at him.

"Ny….Tony!" Tony snapped his head up, seeing Bruce staring at him with the others, worried looks on their faces.

"Tony, you were in my lab." Bruce stated slowly as if Tony was stupid.

Did they really think he was stupid? He probably was- a complete idiot to the Stark na-

He blinked, where did those thoughts come from?

"Tony, you and the Shapeshifter knocked some things onto the ground, and mixed some chemicals…Are you alright? Do you feel sick, or hurt anywhere?"

"No." Tony snapped, turning and looking away from the others, glancing out the window.

_'Worthless….worthless, worthless idiot kid who thought that he could be a her-'_

"Tony?"

"What?" Tony snapped, turning and looking at Clint who recoiled, hands going into the air and glancing at Tony warily as if he was a shark or something that would lash out.

"Whoa- don't bite us here." Clint stated, causing Tony to want to punch him in the face.

He probably would if he wasn't wearing the suit.

"Tony…Are you okay? Are you sure that you're not getting side effects from something?" Bruce asked, watching Tony closely, and Tony scowled crossing his arms and glaring.

"I'm fine! Get off my back." He snapped and Steve frowned, leaning forward.

"Hey! He's just trying to help, Stark."

"Well I don't need any help!" Tony snapped back, issuing a full on glare towards Steve who scowled.

"Sorry for helping you out before when you were too busy gawking at your dad!" Clint scowled and Tony's hand curled into a fist as the nails dug into his skin.

_'Gawking at my dad, sure I always gawk at him. He was always better than me- still is better than me. Dead with class, I'll probably be in the backseat of a car while idiots roll my body out of the back seat. My dad could escape…Steve could escape, dad made Steve and dad makes everything perfect…'_

"Hey just leave him. We weren't exactly perfect against that Shapeshifter." Steve mentioned, and Tony growled.

_'You're perfect! You're always damn perfect!' _

Tony clenched his jaw and looked out the window, faintly noticing how everyone had rapt attention to him- oh, he said that aloud, didn't he?

"Tony? Wha- no I'm not. I'm not a billionaire, or er- a genius." Steve awkwardly stated, Tony responding with a bitter dry laugh.

"I'm an _idiot_, Rodgers. I'm a complete idiot who can't do a single thing right. I got my money from my dad who was the genius- and whatever I did wasn't _enough."_

He snarled, jumping up and punching a poor vase with a few flowers and watched them fall onto the ground with a satisfying crack, water puddle growing in substitute for blood.

"I- That's not true." Steve weakly tried to defend him.

"It's damn true and you know it. I'm an idiot who can't do anything. I only joined the Avengers because Fury needed my dad's money, and I can't even _help people right."_

"Tony! No you ar-"

"I killed people! I made weapons that ripped people apart! I escaped from a cave and I couldn't save my only friend because I _wasn't good enough._ I'm _never good enough._"

Tony stated in anger before slumping in an odd display of mood swings, eyes not focused as he started to mumble things under his breath- the group (minus Clint) straining to hear what he muttered.

"-let me die. Why the hell did they call the hospital, knife should have killed me, hell Afghanistan should have killed me, and Poison should have killed me. Maybe then my life wouldn't be so screwed up, and then this world would be better-"

"Anthony Edward Stark." Natasha stated dryly, causing Tony to look up with slightly glazed eyes.

Here, Bruce expected a fully encouraging speech or something to get him out of his odd pessimistic thoughts, but as he heard the loud _Crack!_ He winced, his cheek almost stinging with the force she put behind her slap.

Tony yelped, recoiling and pressing a hand to his cheek while he glared in something akin to shock, and surprise.

"Now then- Tony you are _not_ worthless. Howard may be smart, but you are a _genius._" Steve affirmed, causing Tony to twitch his lips ever so slightly.

"You stopped an entire terrorist organization." Natasha added, and Thor let out a slight chuckle.

"And you have fought in the mightiest of battles!" He added, Tony at this point with a small smile on his face.

"You made that…_thing,_ in a cave." Clint deadpanned, nodding towards the Arc Reactor…or the suit. It was hard to tell actually.

"You keep the Other Guy in check, and trust me, _that_ is an accomplishment." Bruce stated, Tony giving a small chuckle.

"See Stark? You're not replaceable." Steve pointed out, before randomly attempting to give Tony a hug, causing Tony to yelp and wriggle in his grip.

"No! No help me! Cap's going to give me Arthritis! Alzheimer's! I'm too young to look like a prune!"

And it was then; they knew that Tony was okay.

A few hours later, while Bruce was in the remains of his lab, did Natasha step down, sneaking her way under a fallen beam, taking care to avoid the puddles of liquid while Bruce managed to give her a gas mask, she slipped it on carefully, looking for anything lethal.

"I was experimenting with chemicals in the brain, seeing it I could somehow calm the Other Guy." Bruce explained, looking at the mess all over the ground.

"Oh?" Natasha asked, one eyebrow lifting as she noticed just how…_many_ vials were broken.

"Tony smashed his way right into a storage shelf of Oestrogen." Bruce nodded towards the smashed case, looking at Natasha who sported a frown.

"Known as Estrogen?" He tried, and she shook her head, causing him to rub the back of his head awkwardly.

"Its…It's a chemical inside both male and female, found more in females though, and uh…it's erm…..female sex hormones." Bruce winced, looking at Natasha who turned, biting her lip to hide her laughter.

"And _why_, did you have that?" She asked, and Bruce blushed, shuffling awkwardly.

"Uh- in low amounts in male and female bodies it produces OCD, I was trying to see if I could…flatten out the amounts to maybe keep the Other Guy, less…smashing?"

"And Stark got an overdose? We're dealing with a moody pregnant woman?" Natasha tried to say with a flat face, lips twitching.

"Well- err…in high doses it creates symptoms of depression or sadness, but besides that…yeah…Stark's pregnant."

How Clint was able to stay so quiet in the vents that long was a mystery to the both of them- all they heard, was Clint laughing so hard, falling out of the shoot was an actually option.

That is, until Tony found him.

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**~Oceanbreeze7**


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